Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, often ) is one of the United States of America's federal assistance programs. It began on July 1, 1997, and succeeded the
Aid to Families with Dependent ChildrenAid to Families with Dependent Children was a federal assistance program in effect from 1935 to 1997, which was administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
(AFDC) program, providing cash assistance to indigent American families with dependent children through the
United States Department of Health and Human ServicesThe United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
. Prior to 1997, the federal government designed the overall program requirements and guidelines, while states administered the program and determined eligibility for benefits.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF, often ) is one of the United States of America's federal assistance programs. It began on July 1, 1997, and succeeded the
Aid to Families with Dependent ChildrenAid to Families with Dependent Children was a federal assistance program in effect from 1935 to 1997, which was administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services...
(AFDC) program, providing cash assistance to indigent American families with dependent children through the
United States Department of Health and Human ServicesThe United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
. Prior to 1997, the federal government designed the overall program requirements and guidelines, while states administered the program and determined eligibility for benefits. Since 1997, states have been given block grants and both design and administer their own programs. Access to welfare and amount of assistance varied quite a bit by state and locality under AFDC, both because of the differences in state standards of need and considerable subjectivity in caseworker evaluation of qualifying "suitable homes." However, welfare recipients under TANF are actually in completely different programs depending on their state of residence, with different social services available to them and different requirements for maintaining aid.
TANF was created by the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity ActThe Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is a United States federal law considered to be a fundamental shift in both the method and goal of federal cash assistance to the poor. The bill was a cornerstone of the Republican Contract With America and was introduced...
instituted under
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Bill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the third-youngest president; only Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were younger when entering office...
in 1996. The Act provides temporary financial assistance while aiming to get people off of that assistance, primarily through employment. There is a maximum of 60 months of benefits within one's lifetime (some states have instituted shorter periods). In enforcing the 60-month time limit, some states place limits on the adult portion of the assistance only, while still aiding the otherwise eligible children in the household. While on aid, there is a component requiring non-exempt clients to attempt to find employment. Unmarried minor parents have to live with a responsible adult or guardian. Paternity of children must be established in order to receive benefits. These requirements have led to massive drops in the number of people receiving cash benefits since 1996, but there has been little change in the national poverty rate during this time.
The table below shows these figures along with the annual unemployment rate.
Note: 1996 was the last year for the AFDC program, and is shown for comparison. All figures are for calendar years.
The purposes of the TANF program as described in section 601 of the Social Security Act are as follows:
- provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives;
- end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;
- prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and
- encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.
TANF sets forward the following work requirements necessary for benefits:
- Recipients (with few exceptions) must work as soon as they are job ready or no later than two years after coming on assistance.
- Single parents are required to participate in work activities for at least 30 hours per week. Two-parent families must participate in work activities 35 or 55 hours a week, depending upon circumstances.
- Failure to participate in work requirements can result in a reduction or termination of benefits to the family.
- States, in FY 2004, have to ensure that 50 percent of all families and 90 percent of two-parent families are participating in work activities. If a state reduces its caseload, without restricting eligibility, it can receive a caseload reduction credit. This credit reduces the minimum participation rates the state must achieve.
, the initial program has expired but Congress has reauthorized the program under the
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 , is a United States budget Act of Congress.-Legislative history:Senate bill passed the Senate, with a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Dick Cheney, and House bill passed the House 217-215. The Senate bill was signed by President George W...
. The reauthorization has changed some of the requirements of the program, both for clients and for state administrators of the program.
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